“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49)
Dear People Who Keep company with God,
There is something mystical about a fire. They can be relaxing and conducive to thinking on a deeper level. In the natural, fire gives light, which is essential for life. It purifies metals like gold, silver, and iron and can change many substances into its image. If you place a piece of wood into a fire, it will look like fire shortly. The fire and the wood become one.
Fire is significant throughout the Bible. One of the descriptions of God is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 11:29), which is why Scripture often uses fire as a symbol of His presence. A pillar of fire led Israel at night for forty years (Exodus 13). Elijah called fire down from heaven when he confronted the nation with choosing between following Baal or the Lord (1 Kings 18). Two disciples on the Road to Emmaus spoke of their hearts burning while Jesus talked and opened the Scriptures to them (Luke 24). The Holy Spirit is “a spirit of judgment and burning” (Isaiah 4:4). He comes as fire to work deeply into our lives, which will shape things around us, rather than us taking on the world’s nature. He burns away any binding grip that the enemy has imposed on us.
One winter evening, I built a fire in the fireplace, and as I sat looking at the flames, I sensed the Spirit of the Lord drawing my heart to Him. This thought came to my mind: how tremendous fires are in the right place and at the right time. Jesus came to send His fire, which is the Holy Spirit, but He first prepared the hearts of the people so they could receive the fullness of the Spirit.
Fires require work. In the natural, they need attention, and there is always clean up. A move of the Holy Spirit involves effort. Although God starts His fires, He expects us to take care of them. It is not just a matter of enjoying extraordinary times of blessings, salvations, healings, and deliverances. We have to watch over what the Spirit of God is doing and humbly respond. Sometimes that involves sacrifice. We have to give up the familiar to receive something greater in exchange. There are problems behind the scenes. Some people get offended when the Spirit comes with power. Workers get tired, and the enemy comes with a vengeance to distract and discredit what God is doing.
There is an element of danger in fires. I know this well. When I was 12 years old, I watched a fast-moving forest fire come so close to our home that the National Guard told us to evacuate. Fortunately, before it reached the house, they stopped the fire. It was scary. History tells us there have been many churches, and even whole movements and denominations, needlessly damaged or destroyed by the careless handling of revivals and moves of the Spirt.
Years ago, I had a vision of our church on fire. I then saw another church in the area become engulfed in flames, and others soon followed. I saw a map of the United States, and churches all over the nation were burning. The fires combined and swept across our land like a prairie fire. We are in a time of the bride preparing herself (Revelation 19:7-8) for a mighty move of God.
The Spirit will come like a fire, and we will have the opportunity to become more like the Lord Jesus than ever. There will be an unprecedented unity amongst the people of God and the salvation of nations.
Many Blessings, BW